The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-06-12
INSTRUMENTATION
WHERE GEN. CHALMERS LED
THE CHARGE
By Command Of Gen. Forrest-A
Memory OF the Civil
War.

IooRREsroSDEScx or TIE APrEAL.l
Fort Pillow, TENN, June 9TH,
188.-"Did you know Gen. Forrest?'
was asked an old magistrate, who
resides near the fort. "Yes," said
he, II went to Memphis once to buy
some negroes, and after looking at
two that Forrest had. concluded fl
nally to buy them. Going back TO
him | told him this, Offering some
thing more than a gentleman from
Mississippi, who wanted them"
mo" said he, Il promised that man
he could get. them and | must not
deceive him." Gen. Forrest was
a man Of honor and integrity" said
he. THE last time | ever saw him
was one morning about 8 o'clock,
when l met him riding rapidly with
his escort towards Fort Pillow"
"He merely nodded his head to me"
Gen. Forrest dealt in slaves, for
the government under which he was
reared protected slavery. Many Of
the people of the old thirteen colo
MES (most of them were Northern
States) did the same thing: and, un-
fortunately, dealt in them SO largely
that they sold "all they had" thus
shifting the great responsibility OF it
upon some of the new States and the
South. Specializing on them was
not regarded any worse than specu-
lating in cotton or wheat. But does
it not now seem very wrong, that as
soon as these States got rid of all
they had, to commence operations
that subsequently plunged the coun-
try into bloody war, and for over
twenty-five years indirectly tax
the innocent purchasers" to
pay the bulk OF the expenses of that
war, or their descendants to do so.
So many millions Of dollars worth of
slaves and property swept away by
those who had none to lose, is very
easy on them, but an unprecedented
robbery of the owners OF the slaves.
Philanthropy is fine thing when it
does not touch the pockets of such
people. Slavery was curse, but to
shift the great responsibility of it
wholly upon the South was, and will
be, forever wrong. Doubtless these
or similar considerations had often
been revolved in the mind of the
dauntless spirit, whom the old man
said he had met riding rapidly with
his escort towards Fort Pillow"
And not only were these considera-
tions and the discharge of his duty
in obeying the orders of the authori-
ties at Richmond at this time to
draw troops out of the South by
capturing certain places, prompting
him, but there we're other consider
atoms that touched his brave heart,
aroused his indignation, and caused
him fully to determine that that
very day Fort Pillow should yield.
The Confederate army was far
away in the South, the wounded of
many of its soldiers were left behind
at the mercies of rowing bands of
banditti in many places. West Ten
nessee was cursed not only with
them, but there we're renegade Ten
pesseeans and negroes gathered at
Fort Pillow, which had been for
months the terror of the helpless old
men, women and children, who,
though pretending sincerity, as sol
diers in defense of the Union, only
rejoioed in their hearts, in many
cases, that the opportunity offered
for gratifying a feeling of hatred
towards people that were better off
than themselves, people who were
kind hearted and generous, but could
not treat such scamps as equals.
Gen. Forrest well knew the remedy
for relief of these rowing bands, pre-
tending to be Southern soldiers, for
he converted them into soldiers un-
der his command, or, if needs be, he
would hang them in cases of any ac-
tivities that they persisted in. All
irregular soldiers were taken South
when his command went there, but
there was no protection for the help
less citizens when this Fort Pillsw
gang chose to come upon them. The
old citizens importuned him as he
rode through from Paducah, to try
and relieve them of their terrible
persecution. He had known many
of them and respected them for their
integrity as citizens, He listened
with indignation at the recital of acts
of these creatures, and his soul was
stirred with hatred for their mean l.
ness and determination to capture
them or wipe them out, Well anthem
ticated instances repeatedly brought
to his notice Of rapine and atrocious
outrage upon non combatants, and
often upon the families of the sol
diers of his command, rendered the
capture of the garrison a duty; and
when he turned the head Of his col
umn toward Fort Pillow the soldiers
of West Tennessee were jubilant and
moved with eagerness towards the
place. Balls and Mccullough s
Brigade and Walton's Battery were
in the advance. Gen. Forrest left
jackson on the morning of the llth
of April, 1864, overlook Gen. Chal-
mers at 2 clock pm. at Browns
vile, ordering that officer to push
! ahead with his command. The dis
lance was then thirty eight miles. 1t
, was raining, and so dense the dark
ness that you could not see your
hand before you. They never halted
until just before dawn, when the ad-
vance guard surprised the pickets
and captured all except one, who es-
caped to the fort, and entered it not
until about sunrise and gave the
alarm. Fort Pillow, as is we'll known,
had been strongly fortified by Con-
federate engineers in 1862, the works
being so extensive thatthey were I'M
tenable for a small force. The main
Confederate works were half mile
from the outer works, and a newly
constructed fort by the garrison was
within or behind the whole, and with
its front east and south, being on the
highest point of the bluff, here per-
pen dicular, its rear to the river and
Cole creek, emptyiug there into
the river. As you come into the